


promise me you'll never leave my side

by BlueJay26



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AFTG Mixtape Exchange 2021, ALL OF IT, ALL THE FLUFF, Anniversary, Cars, Competition, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:41:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28996140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueJay26/pseuds/BlueJay26
Summary: Its Andrew's and Neil's 2 year buying-an-apartment anniversary, and although they didn't say anything about gifts, the two of them are definitely planning something. No, of course it isn't a competition, they aren't children.(But if it is, it's definitely a tie this time.)**Written for the AFTG Mixtape Exchange 2021 for Scary_Eri, who asked me to "give them all the fluff", which I endeavoured to do. Based on the song 'Follow You' by Bring Me The Horizon.**
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 16
Kudos: 101
Collections: AFTG Mixtape Exchange 2021





	1. sink into me, let me breathe you in

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Scary_Eri](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scary_Eri/gifts).



It’s been a few years since Neil graduated and started living with Andrew. He knows if he asks Andrew, he’ll say it’s been exactly 707 days since Neil moved in. Andrew obliges Neil like that these days. Neil likes it, it’s nice to know Andrew cares enough to keep track. It’s even better to know Andrew trusts him enough to show it. 

It’s coming up on their two year anniversary, and Neil has the perfect gift for Andrew. He saw a picture of one a while back, when he was out with Dan and Matt. It had felt and looked so incredibly _Andrew_ , Neil knew he had to buy it. And while Andrew has never liked gifts; he hates the idea of being indebted to anyone, Neil knows there’s no way he’d refuse this.

The minute he reached home, he’d asked Matt how to go about ordering one, making sure it arrived when Andrew was out. Sometimes he goes to where he’s hidden it just to make sure it’s real. Proof that he’s kept this for longer than he’d thought he would survive. This _this_ that Andrew’s no longer denying. It feels good to have physical proof. Neil knows the feel of this gift’s key almost as well as he knows the shape of the key to his and Andrew’s apartment.

Neil knows he’s being secretive; he also knows Andrew isn’t worried. It’s been so long since Neil’s tried to run, it isn’t the first possibility that comes to mind anymore. In any case, Neil knows, he would take Andrew with him anywhere he went. Andrew would follow, too. No questions asked. It’s nice to be trusted like that. 

Andrew’s being equally secretive. He skulks around, making calls when he thinks Neil isn’t around. Neil knows it isn’t a competition, but the part of him that made him blow his arms out against Andrew rears its head again and again. _So what if it’s not a competition, he deserves good things, doesn’t he?_

It feels fun, the hiding and subterfuge for no good reason other than surprising Andrew, knowing Andrew is doing the same. Fun. Something he hasn’t felt in a long time, juggling Ichirou, the team, volunteering and all those numerous photoshoots the team is forced to do. No, he hasn’t had fun in quite some time. The off season is relaxed this year; no rabid fans, no rushing off to see Aaron’s and Katelyn’s baby. It’s just him and Andrew, going on drives, cooking for each other, and of course trying ~~to outdo each other~~ to find the best gift for their two year owning-an-apartment anniversary.

They have a lot of anniversaries, Neil reflects. They don’t celebrate Christmas, or birthdays, _those_ are minefields no one wants to venture into. Instead they celebrate buying-an-apartment, we-won-against-the-Ravens, we-won-the-Olympics (Kevin joins in for both of these), we-kissed-on-the-carpet, you-gave-me-a-key (this one was Neil’s idea), I-told-you-I-would-blow-you( _this_ was Andrew’s idea), and quite a few Neil-fucked-Riko-over celebrations. All in all they have far more celebrations than they should.

To be fair, Neil forgets most of the dates, and only remembers when Andrew does something like bake an orange and white cake with a fondant fox on top. But this one is different, Neil knows this one is a hurdle for both of them. Neither of them had ever dreamed of having an apartment, let alone with a partner they could trust. Sure the bad days still make an appearance, but it strengthens both of them when they're together. It’s true; they’ll never be each other's answer but (and Neil is particularly fond of this analogy) they are at least one of the factors that raises the answer from a zero to a positive number. Andrew always looks at him fondly when he says that, a soft gleam in his eyes that he's only let shine through for a year now.

Neil smiles as he gazes up at the sky from their little balcony, fiddling with the unwrapped present in his pocket. He still needs to wrap it, hide it and wait for 23 days. But that can wait. Because in a minute Andrew will come out to water their plants. He’ll come and look down at Neil and give him one of those adoring looks. The ones that say _you’re the brightest thing in my life, the spark without which I cannot burn_. Neil knows he probably looks the same way, as Nicky or Allison or Matt has told him innumerable times. In a minute, Andrew will pull him up and follow him inside, eager to serve whatever he’s experimented with this evening. It will be domestic in a way Neil is unfamiliar with. Cosy, a word he never associated with family before Andrew. Because that’s what Andrew is. Family. 


	2. cause i'm telling you, you're all i need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anniversary celebrations

The Maserati is parked below them and the sky is bright with stars. Of course they’d choose the roof of an abandoned building to celebrate. Neil isn’t sure where the idea came from, just that they were driving and decided to stop there. The staircases were creaky and they had to break a few locks to reach the roof, but it’s worth it. And fun.

Andrew’s been fidgety all evening, not the absolute stillness that Neil associates with a bad day, just a slight nervousness. Rare for Andrew but Neil understands - it’s a big day. It’s coming up on their six year we-kissed-on-the-carpet anniversary, and Neil doesn’t know about Andrew but he hadn’t known it was possible for them to make it this far.

The silence between them isn’t uncomfortable; when you do nearly everything with the same person, there’s very little that makes you uncomfortable. 

Andrew slides his hand across the rough cement and Neil takes it. He’s looking straight ahead, watching the lights flickering along the skyline. Watching like he’s never seen them before. Neil squeezes his hand, moving closer to him.

“Hey.”

“Truth?” Andrew still refuses to make eye contact, and Neil is starting to wonder what exactly is going on.

“Of course.” Though they stopped asking each other questions quite a while ago, once in a while it comes back into play. Mostly if one of them feels insecure. Neil isn’t sure what Andrew’s going to ask him, but he knows it won’t be bad. It’s _Andrew._

Andrew turns to him, finally. “I hated you in college. I hated the way you made me feel, that you made me feel at all. It wasn’t just the way you acted. It was the way you treated me. You never tiptoed around me or made me feel like a ticking bomb. You accepted whatever I threw at you, and backed down when I stopped throwing. You made it hard for me to feel nothing, to protect myself. I never imagined I’d find someone who understood me and didn’t want to exploit that. That was hard. I had come to terms with the idea of a life alone. It would have shielded me. Now, a life without you in it is unthinkable. I will never say you saved me, Neil Josten, but you made it easier for me to save myself. On days when everything feels dark, you are there to give me a lighter and a candle. I hated when we were on different teams and I didn’t have you beside me. When you moved in I promised myself I wouldn’t leave your side again. Not voluntarily. I will go where you go, for as long as you will have me. Let me ask you this. Neil Abram Josten, will you marry me?”

The floor tilts under Neil. When his vision settles, he sees Andrew holding a black box in his free hand, open to show a thick silver band. The lights in the distance swim and blink out of existence. Andrew is more important now. Always more important. Andrew, who’s watching him like a hawk, adorably nervous. His little finger is tapping out a rhythm on Neil’s hand. He lifts their hands and kisses the finger, trying to think of a response.

He can’t think of a single thing to say. Except he can, because words come pouring out of him. “Andrew you’ve always been there for me. When I was falling apart, you were the one constant. The one thing I centred myself around. You ground me and help me more than I thought one person could. I was nothing, nobody, and you showed me how to become somebody. How to live. Even when Lola had me and I thought I,” the words stick in his throat, “I thought I was lost, even then I thought of you. Of everything you gave me, so unselfishly. The opposite of what everyone said about you. You helped me mould myself into a person I can be proud of. I’ll never forget that. Thank you.”

Andrew’s face changes minutely. “The last time you said thank you, it was a goodbye.”

Neil shakes his head at the implied question. He’s not good with words, not the way Andrew is. His mind skips to the important parts; survival, protection, security. Things he’s not sure Andrew can have if he decides to marry Neil. “I can’t- I don’t know how to make sentences sound beautiful and touching, it’s not one of my fortes. You need to be sure you want this,” Andrew’s eyebrows lower and Neil sees his mistake in implying Andrew doesn’t want him, “that you want all the trouble that would come with being with me. You said I made it hard for you to protect yourself. You’re right. I’m a risk to everyone around me, and in marrying me, you’d make yourself the biggest target. I don’t want to make you go through that.”

Andrew sighs. “You’re an idiot. You couldn’t _make_ me do anything. I would go anywhere willingly if you were there too. Haven’t you noticed?”

And Neil has. Images flash into his mind, a steady stream.

Andrew shutting the goal down every time Neil asked.

Andrew sharing therapy sessions with Aaron.

Andrew giving up dust.

Andrew driving all the way back to court to pick him up.

Andrew sticking by him during his time with the FBI.

Andrew refusing to leave his bedside at the hospital.

Andrew flying halfway across the country to visit Neil.

Andrew buying them matching exy racquets after he saw how Neil treasured the armbands.

Andrew. Andrew. Andrew. It says a lot, the way Andrew knows Neil will never deliberately cross a line and so trusts him with everything.

Neil blinks furiously. “Yeah, yeah I know. But it’s dangerous. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you.”

Andrew leans his shoulder against Neil’s. “We’ve faced everything together so far. We’ll face whatever waits for us the same way. I’ve never seen death as such an awful thing, and neither have you. If something happens, they can bury us in the same grave. Same coffin. I’m not going anywhere, not unless you say you don’t want me with you. Because if you think I’m going to let you face your demons by yourself, you’re stupider than I thought.”

Neil slumps down to lean his head on Andrew’s shoulder, a relieved laugh slipping out of him. He had prepared himself for the worst. For Andrew to say it’s too much trouble, that Neil's presence will disrupt his otherwise peaceful life. For that beautiful ring to be shoved back in his pocket, taken with him when Andrew walked away. For Andrew to say the exact opposite, well, Neil wants to laugh and shout and dance and yell across the sleeping city, to wake the world up and tell them that the most amazing man has decided to marry him. He turns his head and drops a light kiss on Andrew’s shoulder.

Andrew looks down at him. Fond is the only way to describe that look. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Neil sits up. “Yes. Yes. Always yes.”

Andrew smiles at him, just a small twitch of his lips. The best thing Neil’s ever seen. He holds his hand out and Andrew slides the ring onto his finger. He’ll have to put it on a chain for practice and games, but he likes the gesture. The promise it holds. 

Andrew gestures. “Look at the inscription.”

Curious, Neil takes it off and looks inside. _I’ll come back for you._ Written in perfect cursive. Neil gasps as his mind goes back to their exchange on the bus. Just before Lola and his father and the FBI, he’d said that to Andrew.

“Maybe it was the zombies,” he starts, obviously about to repeat Neil’s entire speech, “Renee said she’d focus on survivors. I said I’d go back for some of us. Five of us. Aaron, Kevin, Nicky, Bee. And you.” This is not part of the script. “You didn’t say anything then because you knew you’d look out for only yourself when the world went to hell. We are not those people anymore. You will come back for me. I will come back for you.”

“I’ll always come back for you Andrew.” And this time, instead of dismissing it as a vain promise, Andrew huffs.

“Those zombies won’t know what they’re facing, with you by my side.”

“You’re pretty terrifying on your own, you know?”

“Obviously, but it’d be more fun to kill zombies if you were there to impress.”

Neil gasps in mock affront. “Excuse you, I’d be the one doing the impressing. You’d just stand there looking amazed by my excellent sword skills.”

Andrew sighs, clearly not willing to give in. “Was it you who carried a set of knives all through college?”

“No, I knew I could borrow yours.”

Andrew looks away, then looks back as Neil slides a thin blade from a compartment in his shoe. He grins at the shock on Andrew’s face.

“Did you always have those?”

Neil shrugs, hiding the blade again. “Unless we were flying.”

Andrew blinks, then turns back to the skyline. He shakes his head, as if pieces of Neil are falling into place. Yet again. Neil always wants to keep this part of their relationship. The part where he retrieves bundles of cash, and Andrew licks his lips (and then Neil’s). Where he tells Andrew not to buy certain plants because if boiled their leaves are poisonous, and Andrew’s eyes widen. Where he pulls a blade out of his shoe, and Andrew has to turn away to stop himself from jumping Neil right there.

Neil lets him stew for a while, before saying, “You know, I still haven’t given you your present.”

“Yes, you did.” And Andrew’s eyes dart to Neil’s hand, still resting near his shoe.

Neil’s jaw drops. “That’s cheesy!”

“No one will ever believe you.”

Neil’s still laughing when Andrew kisses him. It’s so unlike their first kiss, so carefree and joyful. Neil smiles against Andrew’s mouth at the thought of how far they’ve come. He noses against Andrew’s cheek, content to just _be_ for a while. 

When Andrew finally leans away, Neil goes with him, asking for another kiss. “If you want your gift we have to get up.”

“Remember how we never actually said anything about gifts?”

Neil pulls the little box from his pocket. “If you don’t want anything,” he trails off.

But Andrew’s already looking at the box, one eyebrow raised as if to say _that’s the size of a ring box._

Neil holds it out to him. “Just open it.”

Andrew takes it. “Allison wrapped this.”

“Did you think I was in the business of making things look nice?”

“No, you’d look better if you were.”

Neil grins. “Shut up, you’re ruining the moment.”

Andrew glares at him. “Josten I swear, if you propose to me moments after I’ve proposed to you, with a ring in a box wrapped by Allison Reynolds, of all people, I will never let you live it down.”

Neil looks away to hide his smile. “Stop saying things that are patently untrue before you even open the box. And keep your mind open while you’re about it.”

Andrew has the audacity to mutter _rude_ before turning his attention back to the box. However much Andrew grouses, Neil knows the suspense is killing him.

When Andrew finally gets past Ally’s complicated wrapping, he stares at the key fob inside for long enough that Neil starts panicking. Maybe buying someone a car once was enough. What if the second time implied you just didn’t know what else to get them? No, Neil knows that isn’t true. Then, why is he still staring into the box?

Andrew looks up slowly, so slowly. “You bought me a Mercedes.”

Neil knows enough about cars to know this is a name of some sort, but to clarify he says, “I bought you a car.”

Andrew sighs again, as if Neil is a puppy nipping at his trousers. He shifts so the box is between them. “You see this sign?” It’s the hippie peace sign, but the centre stroke stops halfway. “That’s the sign for a Mercedes. Other cars have different signs. For example, the Maserati has a trident.”

Neil nods. “Oh yeah, the car has that fucked up peace sign between it’s headlights, too.”

“It isn’t a fucked up peace sign, Josten. It’s the Mercedes logo.” Andrew’s eyes narrow. “You aren’t faking, right? To get a laugh out of this.”

Neil’s lips twitch, and then he’s rolling around on the hard concrete of the roof. “Only partially,” he gasps out between laughs, “I had to make sure it was the best car for you. Don’t you think I would have done my research?”

“Fine, what’s the model? Seeing how you know so much about cars.”

“Not cars, plural. Just the one I got for you.” Neil pauses to increase Andrew’s curiosity. “It’s a Mercedes-Benz G-class SUV, commonly known as a G Wagon. It’s not a sports car like the Maserati, but it has a four wheel drive that’s perfect for off-road driving. It’s a hybrid, too, though I’m not sure what that means. Oh, and it’s a five-seater luxury vehicle.”

Andrew opens his mouth. Shuts it. Opens it again. This time it stays open. “You sound like you memorised the sales pitch.”

Neil blinks, caught out. “And if I did?”

Andrew gets up, brushing off the seat of his pants. “I don’t care. I want to see the car. And I’m not abandoning Em, okay.”

Neil tilts his head up. “There’s more than enough space in the garage for both the Maserati and the Wagon. I checked.”

Andrew leans down, kisses him, and pulls him up in one smooth motion. “You will not disrespect a beautiful car by naming it _Wagon._ As it is, you don’t call Em by her name. I am in charge of the naming in this house.”

“Cars. You can be in charge of naming cars. I call dibs on naming any other inanimate objects.”

“You are so lucky Em didn’t hear that. Cars have personalities, Josten. You can’t just call them inanimate.” But Andrew’s walking backward down the stairs, a teasing glint in his eyes.

“Why didn’t you propose to _Em,_ in that case?” Neil tries very hard to disguise the laughter in his voice with jealousy.

Andrew screws his whole face up. “Because I’m not straight.”

“So you’re settling. I see how it is.” Neil tries to edge past Andrew so he can stalk haughtily to the car. 

Andrew’s arm shoots out, shielding him from the sharp, jagged edge of the bannister. “I will let the zombies devour you,” he says, his actions belying his words.

Neil darts in for a kiss, moving past Andrew in the same move. “Says the man who can’t beat me to the car,” he winks before he takes off.

“She has a name.” Andrew’s close behind him, not willing to drop the competition for even a second.

“So do I. Quite a few.”

They’re almost neck and neck, but as always, Neil just wins. “So, really, you’ll just be asking me to save you from the zombies, slowpoke.”

Andrew drops his hands to his knees, panting. “Fine. Fine. I give in. You win.”

Neil laughs. “I know. I really did win, Andrew Minyard.”

Andrew turns away. “Minyard Josten.” His voice is soft, a little hesitant.

“What?”

“Hyphenated. I’ve been thinking. I don’t want either of us to give up our names.”

“Oh,” then as it sinks in, “ _oh_. Yeah. Yes. I like that.”

Andrew gestures at the car. “Well, get in. We don’t have all night.”

“Wagon isn’t going anywhere.” But Neil gets in.

“I will make you walk the whole way. Try me.” But Andrew waits until Neil buckles his seatbelt before turning the ignition on.

They may tease each other. They may be competitive. And Neil never backs down from a fight. And Andrew has a tongue as sharp as their (shared) knives. But at the end of the day, it’s Andrew who always carries Neil home after a hard practice, it’s Neil who makes herbal tea after Andrew has a bad dream. Andrew grumbles and Neil smirks, clinging to Andrew like an overgrown koala. Neil sings softly and Andrew stares blankly, fingers clutched in his favourite blanket. At the end of the day, they’re there for each other, and that’s more important than what they name their cars. 

Because Andrew yanks the curtains open during the week, humming obnoxiously, but he tiptoes out of bed on the weekends, so Neil can sleep in. Because Andrew hates laundry, so Neil does double loads. Because Andrew mutters the whole way to the store, but carries all the bags back. Because Andrew doesn’t like bugs, so Neil deals with the caterpillars in their garden. Because they got a flat on the first floor - for both Andrew’s fear of heights and Neil’s need for multiple escapes. Because all their windows have reinforced glass. Because the Maserati never runs out of gas. Because they don’t let their phones die anymore. Because now they buy two of everything.

Because if there was a zombie apocalypse, Andrew would come back for Neil. If there was a zombie apocalypse, Neil wouldn’t run, he’d stockpile supplies and find a safehouse. They’d forage during the day, trying to best the other. At night, Andrew would curl up around Neil, and Neil would keep a gun under his pillow. They would weather it. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! :)


End file.
